Curtain Call: Elyes Gabel

Amrita Acharia’s anguish echoed across the Red Waste, and just like that, shockingly, we knew it was over. One of the more quietly brilliant characters on Game of Thrones had met his maker. Irri’s sobbing words said that she feared Rakharo had lost his very soul, but even Dany’s fervent promise—“We will build him a funeral pyre, and I promise you, Rakharo will ride with his ancestors tonight”—did not soothe the sense of Irri’s loss.

Her loss is ours too, and this is the only pyre we can build for him.It’s no small thing to say Elyes was able to capture the imaginations of countless fans in just a few small scenes; the fact that he was ‘shipped (“relationshipped”) with Irri so early in the series’ first season was a testament to his easy charisma, and the chemistry both actors seemed to immediately display. Gabel played Rahkaro (originally “Jhogo” until the name was deemed too similar to “Drogo”) with a youthful but wary charm. He was the sort of character who, you could tell, had seen a lot in his young years.

The moment that will always stand out to me was his excellent scene with Iain Glen, as Rakharo and Jorah shared weapon and armour tips whilst Rakharo learned the common tongue. This was a character fiercely proud of his Dothraki heritage, and proud of his father. There was a lot of “I want to be as good as my father was” going on with him.

Topped onto that great bit was his layered exchange with Acharia’s Irri that seemed to peel back (if only slightly) the wary layers both characters had, seemingly sparking a very interesting… something. That odd, lingering look he gave as she was leaving, like he can’t quite make his mind up whether he’s annoyed or intrigued. I know Tumblr did a bit of a jig.

The desire for many Game of Thrones fans to see Rakharo and Irri’s hinted-at relationship find fruition was cut short, perhaps bitterly so. I am thankful Gabel was able to make an appearance in the season two premiere, at least, to bring some closure to his tragic character’s arc. And as he was so solidly in Dany’s camp, I really loved their final exchange. (And I appreciated how director Alan Taylor positioned Irri in that scene, almost off camera but solitary, as though Rakharo’s exit was leaving her alone.)

Don’t cry any tears for Gabel, however; he’s too busy for tears. Elyes plays Umar in the BBC television show Silent Witness, has filmed a movie called Welcome to the Punch (in post production), has already shot scenes for the Brad Pitt zombie film, World War Z, and is scheduled to shoot a TV movie called Widow Detective. He’s not exactly bored.

Of course to us he will always be Rakharo, and will always wear that slightly miffed-and-baffled look he had when khaleesi told him, no, he could not kill her crazy brother now.

Not a bad bit of work, Elyes. Fare you well in the Night Lands. We appreciate all you did.

Fire And Blood: I was immediately heartened to see Elyes in the first episode of season 2—and then immediately disheartened when I saw Jorah take that signature ponytail, severed and done, out of that saddlebag. I saw the episodes back-to-back, so for me it was a one-two high and low. Travel well, Elyes! You will be missed!

Never was overly excited about his character either, and when he turned up again in the first episode, I expected him to die soon, since it was known beforehand that the actor would not continue.
(By the way, he DID quit the series of his own volition, didn’t he? Because the article for some reason fails to answer this – in this particular context, not for the show as a whole – rather major question…)

Elyes did a great job giving you a sense of his character with the screentime he was given. Loved his chemistry with both Amrita and Emilia. And I know all of the actors who had to speak Dothraki worked their tails off getting it right. So props to him on that!

So thank you Elyes for bringing to life a small, but memorable, character. Good luck in your future endeavors!

Did they change the make up artist between seasons 1 & 2 or something? In season 1 Rakharo had much less black makeup.. eye liner? or eye shadow? [I am a man and hence unfamiliar with make up terminology].. his face looked much darker in season 2…
For Yoren they did the opposite.. his face had much more shadow/liner on it in season 1, but much less in season 2 [he looked so different to me when I saw him this season]. Personally, I thought both looked better in season 1..

I must say his touching exchange with Dany was very well done, and I didn’t notice irri in the background oh darn it all I shall have to re-watch the first ep to see that bit, sad face with his departure but happy face he is onto a brighter future.

Matt S, as FaB explained, the intent of the post isn’t to debate whether we like the character or not, it is to express our appreciation for the actor who brought the character to life. There are plenty of other threads where you can discuss your like or dislike of a character. Thanks.

So sad that they killed him off, I thought he was great. I thought maybe he would be written out this season and maybe return? But after the first episode I turned to my husband and said “omg there is no way he’s going to live after that conversation”. Honestly in season one Irri and Doreah were used so infrequently after a point that I had hoped they would do the same thing here. We would just assume he was in the background even if we didn’t see him. It’s a bit of a shame. Besides Drogo who obviously is gone, Irri and Rhakaro are the only Dothraki characters and they really helped to make it not seem like just a faceless mass of brown people.

I really wish he hadn’t had to leave the series. In the books I always thought of Dany’s bloodriders as such an integral part of her cause’s strength and flexibility, and they made such a cool trio, each wielding expertly one of the weapons that Drogo’s bloodriders gave her (or indirectly, him) at their wedding, the leather whip with silver handle, the arakh chased in gold, and the curved dragonbone bow.
And on the TV show, I felt Gabel captured so perfectly the atmosphere of the bloodriders, although his position was never clearly explained on the show. I am truly sad to see his severed head, as well as the end of the fascinating chemistry between him an Irri.
Incidentally, Aggo, Jhogo, and Rakharo were renamed Aggo, Kovarro, and Rakharo on the show (see for example S02E01-19:17). But not only that, on the show it is Rakharo who wields the wip, instead of Jhogo (in the books Dany gave the wip to Jhogo, the bow to Aggo and the arakh to Rakharo, see http://towerofthehand.com/books/101/073/index.html).
Now, making either one of those changes makes sense, but why both?
I understand replacing Jhogo as it sounds pretty similar to Drogo, and it would be confusing for viewers if the prominent wip-wielding love interest of Irri was called almost the same as Dany’s husband.
And I understand expanding on the wip-wielding one of Dany’s bloodriders, making him more visible on the show, because hey, the wip is a really cool weapon when wielded so expertly, and it serves to make him more memorable, since the arakh is used by others in many scenes (like the wedding, as well as both Drogo’s and Jorah’s most noticable fights).
But it seems to me that it would have been sufficient to make only one of those changes, since Jhogo/Kovarro is hardly ever mentioned at all in the series anyway (not yet, at least), so there is hardly any risk of confusing Jhogo with Drogo. And if Kovorro becomes more prominent later on, well, Drogo is already dead, so again, hardly any risk of confusion.
So it seems to me that either possibility would have been fine:
1) To call the bloodriders Aggo, Jhogo, and Rakharo, but switch it so Rakharo carries the wip and Jhogo the arakh,
2)To call the bloodriders Aggo, Kovorro, and Rakharo, and let Kovorro play the role of Gabel’s Rakharo (that is, have Gabel play Kovorro instead of Rakharo, in other words let Gabel’s character be called Kovorro instead of Rakharo). It would have worked just as well as the name Rakharo for him, don’t you agree? Or if Kovorro is not good enough, then any other Dothraki name could have been used, since they were changing the name anyway.
Can anyone explain that to me?

He was so mean to my beloved Harry Lloyd! Choking him with that whip! Making him walk! Why, before I sent his head back, I shoulda…. Oops, wait, nevermind…
: )
But seriously, he was great, I really enjoyed his performance, and his chemistry with Irri was undeniable. My fav. Scene was probably the one with him comparing weapons with Jorah, then arguing with Irri about what Khaleesi is going to eat for dinner.

I’m going to miss him! He’s such a charismatic and natural presence, he didn’t have to say much to make an impression. Rakharo’s thwarted potential with Irri is heartbreaking. Best of luck to Gabel, and thanks for being a great part of the show. :)

He embodied so much with so little. The scene between him and Jorah talking about armor was incredible and could have gone on for hours, and that’s usually proof enough that a character is extremely compelling and that the actor portraying it is knocking it out of the park. The chemistry with Irri was another high point of the first season and I really wish he would have stayed for further seasons.

The series is full of these small significant roles (Maester Luwin, Bronn, Septa Mordane, etc.) and one of the reasons the show is so good is because not only the actors portraying major roles are doing a good job, but also because these minor roles are played so wonderfully.

I wish Elyes the best of luck in his future carrer, which I’m certain will be huge.

In season 1 they didn’t know that Elyes would have to leave the show next year. They probably planned to have him as the featured blood rider all the way through. And so they gave him traits from all three blood riders. Now they had to introduce a new featured blood rider, Kovarro, since Elyes had to go. They could have called him something else, but does it really matter?

Well, no, not really. And I didn’t mean this ‘rant’ to get so long, sorry about that. I’m just puzzled why they changed the name of Jhogo to Kovarro, since he’s hardly mentioned at all anyway (so far, at least)

ETA:
And “so they gave him traits from all three blood riders”, he has the whip from Jhogo, the name from Rakharo, and that’s all? Is there anything I’m missing? Other than perhaps combining lines from all of them into lines for him alone.

One of my favourite characters/actors in a minor role. ): I’m definitely going to miss him, and the implication of future awesomeness between he and Irri (I hope there’s a lot more Irri than there has been so far this season, but then, I guess there hasn’t been much Essos in general ;p ).
Rakharo and Irri brought the Dothraki to life for me in a way that they never were in the books or by other characters on the show.

His leaving the show made me so sad =(
I absolutely loved his scene with Jorah last season, it was so effortless, and the kind of scene that, in the end. Makes a made-up culture seem real. What makes his leaving worse is that I don’t have a feeling they’ll take the trouble to explain the bloodriders this far into the show, and Rakkharo was the only real bloodrider Dany has, the other two are just glorified extras until now.

He really made much out of his small screen time. Definitely a charismatic performer who caught your eye when on-screen, he was a big part of the Dany storyline cast. His scene talking with Jorah, that kind of comrade-in-arms but also with a bit of older brother to younger brother learning aspect, was a favorite. Best of luck to Elyes.

Winter, just saw your request for ‘rest in peace’ in Dothraki on the twitter sidebar. I think implying your afterlife should be peaceful would probably be an insult to the Dothraki! ‘Enjoy eternal combat’ or something?

Matt S: So my post got deleted for saying I didn’t like a character who was a murderer and a rapist? (All Dothraki are) Wow, guess I won’t be visiting this bullshit site again.

Don’t let the door hit your ass on your way out. On second thought, I hope it does.

It’s unfortunate that time conflicts (I assume) took a great character and actor away from this series, yet another reminder of the delicate dance involved in translating books to show, but such is life. I’ll definitely miss his character, he did a great job with relatively little. And who doesn’t like a badass with a whip?

I looooooved Rakharo in the TV series. He and Irri (and to an extent TV!Drogo and the guy Jorah kills) really made the Dothraki culture come alive in a way that I never got out of the books. The books they are really caricatures. In the TV series they are people.

My favorites are any scene where Rakharo and Irri interact. Like when they are arguing about what to feed Dany (even though that scene was really about Jorah finding out Dany’s preggers, Irri and Rakharo were hilarious). Also just the little things he did with body language…

I will look our for him in his future roles and will miss him very much in this one! I hope that Kovarro does a good job filling in… Remains to be seen!

Hopefully WWZ turns out awesome (although early word suggests it might not be), because I’d hate for him to have left this epic show for a bunch of TV movies and a bit part in a major motion picture. I really enjoyed the character, and I know a lot of my non-reader friends were upset when Jorah pulled that pony tail out of the bag, so best of luck to the actor in all future endeavors.

He actually got into a fight with the writers [D&D] regarding his salary.. but at least he had the grace to leave the sword before he fled from Westeros.. by shooting an episode in season 2 to show his death.. unlike that actor who played Ser Gregor..

HERP-DERP: He actually got into a fight with the writers [D&D] regarding his salary.. but at least he had the grace to leave the sword before he fled from Westeros.. by shooting an episode in season 2 to show his death.. unlike that actor who played Ser Gregor..

I agree with the guy who posted right above me in regards to your post. Not a very fair comparison. Rakharo is a minor character that can be written out of the show without making the story messy later on. Gregor.. not so much. Was payment even the issue with Gregor’s actor (Forgot his name) being replaced? I remember reading an article several months ago saying that he wanted to stay, but was replaced anyways. I don’t remember it mentioning any sort of contract dispute.

Vanderhook: I agree with the guy who posted right above me in regards to your post. Not a very fair comparison. Rakharo is a minor character that can be written out of the show without making the story messy later on. Gregor.. not so much. Was payment even the issue with Gregor’s actor (Forgot his name) being replaced? I remember reading an article several months ago saying that he wanted to stay, but was replaced anyways. I don’t remember it mentioning any sort of contract dispute.

I think he left because D&D refused to rename the show Game of Thrones featuring Conan Stevens.

He was great as Rakharo. He spoke the Dothraki language so well it was like he spoke it his whole life. He perfectly captured the essence of a Dothraki warrior even with his limited screen time. He will be missed, definitely.

“Irri and Jhiqui argued about Rakharo. “You are too skinny for him,” Jhiqui was saying. “You are almost a boy. Rakharo does not bed with boys. This is known.” Irri bristled back. “It is known that you are almost a cow. Rakharo does not bed with cows.”

One of the things which distinguishes this TV show from so many others, even those which have received accolades, is the quality of the actors in even the small roles. Elyes is one of those quality actors. I wish him well in all future endeavors.

I read that the actor playing Rakharo had a conflict with the producers supposedly because he was simultaneously filming some other movie called World War Z.. he also demanded more salary as he was originally written to play a bigger role this season.. in the end he prob decided game of thrones was not worth it and settled for just WWZ.. google it.. shouldn’t be hard to find the article.. I read it yesterday..

Bad Dog: Oh, and does Conan Stevens get one of those posts? Just wondering.

Gabel’s part was much larger in s01 and he used the time he got very well acting-wise. Conan Stevens was much less memorable in my opinion: barely any screentime and even less chance to act. I think only book readers and followers of WiC.net ever got excited about the man-behind-the-actor. I haven’t missed him yet…

Maybe not traits, but he plays the role of all three more or less. He also has an arakh.

Didn’t all of them carry arakhs in the books? I think that was the standard traditional weapon of Dothraki warriors. However, it was my understanding that each of them specialized in the use of one of the three weapons, which was reflected by Dany’s choice of gifts to them when they became her official bloodriders after Drogo died.

But yeah, I see what you mean. The show did decide to focus on only one of them, and thus effectively combined them into one character.

I actually let out a “nooooooooooo!!!!!” when I realised whose horse that was trotting back across the sands…and when Irri approached the horse I was in floods of tears. The interplay between Rakharo and Irri was one of the highlights of the first series for me and I’m really, really gutted that Elyes has gone.

Shieraki gori ha yeraan, Rakharo. I’ll miss you and your snarky flirting with Irri. But not as much as she will…

Tytos Blackwood: seems unfortunate as they put scenes in S1 promoting him as the lead bloodrider, i wonder who will take the lead now, i cant even picture the other twoBRING BACK QOTHO =)

Qotho was Drogo’s, not Dany’s, he was a composite of Drogo’s bloodriders like Rakharo was for hers. But they never did make that clear in the show, I’ve seen newbie comments thinking both played similar roles, but one liked Dany and one didn’t.

Damn … D&D are no less cruel than GRRM himself, the master of that aspect. Let’s all take a moment and recollect what just happened. During the one year GoT draught, known as The First one year GoT draught it didn’t fare too well for neither, Irri nor Rakharo. First, if I recall correctly, there came a character named Kovarro. A character whose name was suspiciasly alike to that of Rakharo. And by that time we already knew what D&D tend to do with the names, that sound too much alike(Yara Greyjoy being a testament to that). Naturally, we were alerted. Shortly after that came the information, that Elyes Gabel is moving on to World War Z. That didn’t help, as we all imagine. Aaand some time after that came the trailer, in which Dany was clutching a head … a head that looked like Irri’s head. Fragile, as we were, a month(or two) before the season premiere, and by fragile I mean fragile to the point of paranoia, we soon began concluding, that the head seemed somewhat separated from the body(some of the credit for this goes to The Daily Raven … episode 2, if I’m not mistaken, where Simone Boyce assumed the role of Varys, while we, the fandom, assumed that of the Mad King … and she sure fueled that paranoia of ours some moar).
And then it happened. Episode 11. A magical moment of respite for most of us, when we saw both, Irri and Rakharo, alive and kicking. Reviews, recaps, essays and whatnots, that followed, in many cases included at least a nod to both characters still being a part of Dany’s little khalasar.

Aaaaand … in the episode 12, we got Rakharo’s head. All I can say is, well played, D&D, well played …

Fare travels through the night lands, Rakharo, and good luck to Elyes! I really liked the way Rakharo was in his scenes, though there weren’t many… And I was so happy to see him in the premiere, because I thought all those rumors were wrong. But they were right, and I’m sad there won’t br more Irri/Rakharo!
I am glad and thankfull that such a talented actor was able to bring Rakharo to life in such a wonderful way! Thank you, Elyes!

D&D will have tough decisions to make with future minor characters. The cast is getting larger and you only have so much room in ur budget for casting. hence why the Blackfish, Edumure, Hoster, Aeron, Reeds, and Reek were not cast.

my latest GoT review (click on my name for a link to the article, housed on FAcebook) also contained a brief elegy for poor Rakharo:

Dani’s loyal bloodrider Rakharo, charmingly depicted throughout season one and in the first episode of season 2 by Anglo-Desi hottie Elyes Gabel, is abruptly beheaded by a rival Khal (Pono, anyone?)! This DEFINTIELY does not happen in the books, as handsome Rakharo is alive and well through book 5 of the series

Rakharo was lovable and sympathetic and had several nice little scenes in season one, particularly when sitting by the fire with Jorah Mormont, discussing hand-to-hand combat and reminiscing about their fathers.

Word is that Mr. Gabel was cast in some important, big budget movie and could not commit to appear in Season 2 beyond the first episode. SO THEY KILLED HIM!!!!!!

May the Great Stallion see you safely to the Night Lands, brave Rakharo :-(

I also loved how Rakharo stood up for Dani when her brother menaced her. Rakharo wagging his finger at Viserys (Dikembe Mutombo style) and saying “uh uh uh, you walk” was one of my favorite lines. I almost forgive him for explaining that for a Dothraki to rape a lamb woman is to “do her great honor, Khaleesi”

I have read all five books, and have watched Season 1 multiple times, and this was the FIRST time I cried out of all the deaths… I hadn’t expected it at all honestly. Mostly cause Rakharo/Jhogo is still alive in the fifth book…. So I burst out in tears when it was confirmed it was his head….

I’ve always loved Jhogo(Rakharo) in the books, despite having a small part, his devotion to Dany has always moved me. So when the show aired, I already had a soft-spot for him, plus he was super-hot… xD And so well played…. On top of that I cosplay Daenerys and my boyfriend cosplays Rakharo, so I guess I took it a little too personally when he died… D:

Kovarro is now the ‘lead miscellaneous bloodrider’ character, I believe. Seeing the actor’s Twitter exchanges with the other actors, he appears to play a (relatively) big role in upcoming episodes, and

It sounds like he’ll be back for Season 3.

It would be vaguely amusing if Kovarro died in the first episode of Season 3, resulting in another Dothraki warrior having to emerge from the ranks. Sort of like Murphy Brown’s secretaries, if they were horse-riding steppe warriors :)

Tar Kidho: Gabel’s part was much larger in s01 and he used the time he got very well acting-wise. Conan Stevens was much less memorable in my opinion: barely any screentime and even less chance to act. I think only book readers and followers of WiC.net ever got excited about the man-behind-the-actor. I haven’t missed him yet…

Yep, Gregor was robbed of a good part of his role, sadly, I was hoping to see him make an appearance in the war council and battle scene (like in the book). But he certainly was memorable!

I can’t find any information on the internet as to why precisely Rakharo got killed off, but that the actor simply quit because he got a “better” role in an upcoming movie still seems to be the most likely reason.

The horse doesn’t really add anything to the story, and they decided to keep Doreah alive since she can add to the story. So instead of killing her in the waste, they killed the horse. Makes sense to me.

If I remember well, Elyes’ Rakharo was my second favorite supporting actor. I liked him for fluent Dothraki, for interactions with Irri and Jorah, for showing extraordinary Dothraki: not only having perfect riding and fighting skills, but also the curiosity of the language and customs of his khaleesi
I was very happy seeing him in first episode, but I heard a warning bell, too. Why do the show another blood rider, I wondered. Unfortunately, we know why, now.
Good luck Elyes. May the Night Lands serve you well.

Matt S,
Well, I for one think that your comment about “all Dothraki” is insightful, and urge you to reconsider. (I did not read your original post.)

What galls me, though, are people who give spoilers. I don’t want to know the butler did it: I just want to watch a fun movie with twists and turns. I don’t even want to know that there is a surprise ending. Sometimes, I just want to be entertained.

Rakharo was what would be considered a secondary character. But the fact that Elyas Gabel was so wonderfully cast and did such a great job with the character, I think, speaks volumes to the strength and quality of the show, that even secondary characters, minor players and background extras all work at and aspire to the same high standards as everyone else.

RIP Rakharo (one of the few trully noble and honourable characters on the show), and thanks Elyas for your great work on the show, you will be missed!